Collision injures 59 students on way to Disney World
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A collision sent dozens of students to hospitals instead of Disney World.
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SANFORD, Florida (CNN) -- Three tour buses taking Maryland high school students to Walt Disney World crashed in a chain reaction collision northeast of Orlando Friday morning -- injuring 59 of the students, nine of them seriously, Florida state police said.
The accidents backed up morning traffic for several miles. The crashes occurred just before 7 a.m. EST on Interstate 4, the east-west highway linking Tampa and Daytona Beach.
Approaching a section of the highway congested from the construction of a bridge expansion over the St. Johns River, the driver of the first bus slowed. The driver of the second bus hit the back of the first bus. The third bus then slammed into the back of the second, said Kim Miller, Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman.
The nine students with serious injuries were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of neck and back injuries, she said. The other students were taken to various hospitals in the region, she said. School buses were brought in to take the remaining students to their hotel near Disney World, she said.
Miller said they did not know how many students were on the buses. Video news footage from the scene showed some of the students climbing out of bus windows into the arms of emergency workers.
The students are from Edgewood, Maryland, north of Baltimore. It was not yet clear what high school they attended, Miller said. They were headed to Walt Disney World on a class trip, she said.
The driver of the first bus did not strike any of the vehicles in front of the bus. The drivers of the second and third buses likely will be cited for careless driving, Miller said.
